Meandering Pathway - Te Ara Piko (number 2)

Meandering Pathway – rewrite 07September 2026

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget
that the highest appreciation is not to utter words,
but to live by them”1

Part One

what I mean is, it’s like a storytime-line of who,
what and why things started.
Once upon a time, I was not sure of the how and why,
the sun did rise to shine. I’d think / is it possible
God of imagination put stars and mankind
in this place just for a bloody race?

testimony
\ is more than what I say
\ it is who I am!

to believe creation is a possibility
is like asking a blind person to see trees2.
It takes a little faith to leap the gap
of who or what it is that started me.
Now, it could be, a spot of goo which
grew at such a massive rate as stars
flung themselves into place and
you and I happened to follow suit.

testimony
\ is more than what I say
\ it is who I am!

on the face of it, to be scientific is cool or
wicked (depending on your age), cause in
my day they became the preachers of evolution.
A spin off from a warm spot, which happened to
breed succulent plants and legged creatures
unfolding upright, to gain balance and height,
then swagger past the missing link.

testimony
\ is more than what I say
\ it is who I am!

it’s not hearsay, but what is testifiable
for authenticity’s sake. It can’t be ‘snake like’
(sliding in to set a trap) it needs to be genuine.
An eye-witness account, relevant and wholly believable
for all sundry purposes, be they minor or major,
matters not for what counts are facts; verified by proof;
a third witness passes the test.

testimony
\ is more than what I say
\ it is who I am!

words enough for some aspects but when it comes
to belief, trust and living breath, asking breathe of God
to be my reality check puts me on the deciding edge.
But who can argue with living proof; a life once bent,
now redeemed and understanding why repent is a
testimony not hypnosis; words or theory, it’s my life
and I know my testimony is action—a

testimony
\ is more than words
\ it is what I do!

Part Two

and years later, it’s spring in New Zealand, and
I decide to visit Motukaraka Point, Pāuatahanui and
walk the Te Ara Piko, the Meandering Pathway,
south towards the village.
An inlet where brackish water laps the boardwalk.
Black swans on the tide, resting on this nice cool sunny day.
Weathered story boards whisper of historic occupation.

testimony
\ is more than what I say
\ it is who I am!

I listen to radio national as I walk; static bleeding
news of continued fighting between Russia and Ukraine,
Israel and Iran. Local politics claims the high spot
as does the recent loss of All Blacks to Springboks—
the low flyover reminder of 9/11 twenty-five years ago.
Earthquakes in Milford Sounds create discussion
on readiness for slips and flooding.
New apartments with less carpark spaces—
ready for younger city living.

testimony
\ is more than what I say
\ it is who I am!

low employment, higher interest rates, waiting
for the right move. New elections introduce catchy
voting policies; no new taxes, just more fees!
Paris climate agreement is on; though some disagree.
Radio notes Stoicism: ‘we cannot control our external
world, but we can control how we respond to it’3—
how quickly who I am changes to the noise.

I now meander back to Motukaraka Point,
the island where karaka trees once stood,
noticing the changing tide,
\ is more than what happens
\ it is how I respond!

*Authors Note:
This piece is written as a single script spanning
five years of living.
Part One written January 2021 and Part Two September 2026—
five years of on the meandering pathway!
The bridge is my response to JFK’s gratitude statement and
the connecting “bridge” to each stanza.
Part One, is the internal landscape—the quiet arguments of faith
and bone; creation and evolution.
Part Two addresses the external landscape— global conflict, local
politics colliding in our noisy world.
Ultimately, the pathway reveals that a true testimony is found
not in grand theories, but in the quiet “meanderings of the now;”
of each new day of living and breathing—each day we resume
faith.4*

1.      John F Kennedy; Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, 1963
2.      Mark8:24, the partially healed blind man’s reply (“I see people; they look like trees”)
Matthew 17:20, emphasising that it only takes a “little” faith.
3.      Ryan Holiday; RNZ, discussing his book on Stoicism; 3rd September 2026,2.10pm
4.      Ross Miller; Sharp Darts of Longing Love-Resuming